Romania News

Struggling Romanian city symbolises post-communist era

- On the 25th anniversary of the execution of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, life in the small Romanian port town of Zimnicea is defined by poverty, corruption and, remarkably, a yearning for communist days.

Romania's new president urges all out war on corruption

Bucharest - New Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, whose anti-graft platform propelled him to the top job, on Sunday urged politicians to stamp out entrenched corruption in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Romania 'to clear up' allegations over CIA prisons

Bucharest - Romania is "ready to clear up" allegations that the country hosted secret CIA detention centres, the foreign ministry said Tuesday -- though it stressed that Bucharest had "no proof" such prisons existed.

Romanian parliament approves new Ponta cabinet

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta's revamped government sailed through a vote of confidence in parliament Monday on a promise of continued economic growth and improved social programmes.

Romanian PM reshuffles cabinet after poll defeat

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta reshuffled his leftist government Sunday, a month after his surprise defeat in presidential elections.

Op-Ed: Moldova to Putin — In Vino Veritas

Chisinau - Once again a match made in Moscow appears to have failed. Russia may always be a bride’s maid, never a bride, unless the groom is wearing a balaclava and camouflage.

Romania arrests organised crime chief prosecutor over corruption

Bucharest - Romania's chief prosecutor tasked with investigating organised crime and terrorism was on Saturday arrested on corruption charges over a real estate deal alleged to have cost the government over 60 million euros ($75 million), local media reported.

Romania ex-prison boss 'must pay' for deaths: Inmate

Bucharest - The last surviving inmate from a notorious communist-era Romanian prison told a court Wednesday its one-time boss "must pay" for his cruelty at the jail where at least 14 died of cold and hunger.

Romania scraps amnesty seen helping jailed politicians

Bucharest - Romanian lawmakers on Tuesday scrapped a controversial amnesty bill aimed at freeing corrupt politicians from prison, just two days after a presidential election marked by outrage over rampant graft.

Romania's new president vows to tackle corruption

Bucharest - Hours after pulling off Romania's biggest political earthquake since the revolution which overthrew Nicolae Ceausescu, the country's soft-spoken new president followed through Monday on his vow to tackle corruption.

Romania's anti-graft mayor wins shock presidential victory

Bucharest - An ethnic German mayor of a medieval Transylvanian city pulled off a shock victory in Romania's presidential elections, defeating the premier after vowing to stamp out corruption in the graft-riddled country, early results showed on Monday.

Romania embraces revolutionary dullness of its German Herr Normal

Bucharest - If you were to pick someone to pull off the biggest shock in recent Romanian political history, Klaus Iohannis would not have been top of the list.

Romanian PM concedes surprise defeat in presidential vote

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Sunday conceded defeat in a presidential runoff he had been widely expected to win, with his conservative opponent Klaus Iohannis claiming a shock victory."I congratulated Mr Iohannis on his victory.

Romania PM and rival neck-and-neck in presidential runoff: exit polls

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his conservative opponent Klaus Iohannis were neck-and-neck in a presidential runoff vote, exit polls showed Sunday.

Romanian PM 'neck-and-neck with rival' in presidential poll

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his conservative opponent Klaus Iohannis were neck-and-neck in an unexpectedly close presidential runoff vote, exit polls showed Sunday.

Thousands of Romanians protest against Ponta ahead of vote

Bucharest - Thousands of Romanians took to the streets Friday calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, favourite to win a presidency runoff this weekend, after a scandal over Romanians prevented from voting abroad.

Ponta's confident climb towards Romania top job

Bucharest - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, now tipped for the presidency, is an ambitious, confrontational politician who has risen rapidly in the post-communist era.

Thousands protest in Romania over presidential vote

Bucharest - Some 10,000 people protested in Romania on Saturday, accusing the government of limiting voting from citizens living abroad in last weekend's presidential polls.

Ponta leads tighter-than-expected Romania president vote

Bucharest - Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta led the first round of the presidential election according to near-complete results on Monday, but he was pushed harder than expected by his conservative rival.

Ponta tops Romania presidency first round vote

Bucharest - Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta led the first round of a presidential election Sunday, despite fears he could reverse reforms aimed at tackling the rampant corruption that blights one of Europe's poorest countries.

Ponta poised to win first round of Romania vote

Bucharest - Prime Minister Victor Ponta looks set to win the first round of presidential elections in Romania Sunday amid fears that, if elected, he could reverse advances in the justice system.

Romania to probe Microsoft reseller 'bribery' of ministers

Bucharest - Romanian President Traian Basescu on Friday authorised public prosecutors to launch an inquiry into five former ministers suspected of receiving millions of dollars of bribes and kickbacks from resellers of Microsoft software.

Romanian Communist-era prison boss's trial set to start

Bucharest - A trial that some have dubbed the "Romanian Nuremberg" opens Wednesday in Bucharest, with the head of a brutal communist-era labour camp, known as the "prison of silence," charged with crimes against humanity.

Romania gives green light to NATO fighter force

Bucharest - Romania has given the green light to NATO to base fighters there as the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine deepens, its president said Wednesday.

1,000 Romanian tourists stranded by Bulgaria flash floods

Bucharest - Around a thousand tourists from Romania have been left stranded by flash floods in Bulgaria which left 14 dead around the Black Sea resort of Varna, the Romanian government said on Saturday.

Romania president says not involved in brother's graft case

Bucharest - Romanian President Traian Basescu on Thursday denied involvement in a corruption case after a film emerged of his brother apparently admitting to taking a bribe to intervene in a mobster's murder trial.

Prietenii Mocanitei: Restoring the Sibiu-Agnita railway Special

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Mocanite, narrow gauge railways, trailed stunning mountainous areas to connect cities across Transylvania, Romania. The Mocanite, whose locomotives were steam-powered, were built for cargo and passenger services.